Congratulations to Will Kazez of Athens, GA for his
contributions to the Coaching Forum contest. The winning
entry is listed below for your review and implementation
into your training program.

Winner

Will Kazez
Athens, GA

ELIMINATE LONG
STROKES

A
very simple drill with the Robo-Pong 2000 can help
beginners eliminate the following common mistakes: hitting
forehand or backhand shots with feet perpendicular to the
net (like a tennis player), using strokes that are too long
(like a tennis stroke, for instance), and stretching for a
shot instead of moving the feet. Set the robot to deliver
balls right down the centerline of the table, and alternate
between returning the ball with your forehand and backhand.
Adjust the frequency of the robot, concentrate on moving
your feet before every shot, and in almost no time you'll
see results. If properly done, this drill doesn't give you
time to hit the ball with a slow stroke or inefficient
stance.

(Editor's Note: Instead of doing this drill with the ball
being delivered down the centerline of the table, you may
wish to do this drill with the ball being delivered to your
backhand corner. Unless you are a backhand oriented player,
playing backhands from the center of the table is normally
not your best choice for a stroke. Probably 80-90% of
players have stronger forehands so this is the preferred
stroke when returning a ball down the center of the table.
By doing this drill with the ball being delivered to the
backhand corner, you will execute the backhand from your
"normal" position and then step over to return the next
ball with your forehand. Using a forehand to return a ball
delivered to your backhand is considered "good form";
whereas, using a backhand to return a ball delivered to
your forehand is normally considered "poor
form".)